title: Development of quality indicators for women with urinary incontinence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a means to measure the quality of care provided to women treated for urinary incontinence (UI) through the development of quality-of-care indicators (QIs).
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed an extensive literature review to develop a set of potential quality indicators for the management of UI. QIs were modeled after those previously described in the Assessing the Care of Vulnerable Elders (ACOVE) project. Nine experts ranked the indicators on a nine-point scale for both validity and feasibility. We analyzed preliminary rankings of each indicator using the RAND Appropriateness Method. A forum was then held in which each indicator was thoroughly discussed by the panelists as a group, after which the indicators were rated a second time individually using the same nine-point scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  QIs were developed that addressed screening, diagnosis, work-up, and both non-surgical and surgical management. Areas of controversy included whether routine screening for incontinence should be performed, whether urodynamics should be performed before non-surgical management is initiated, and whether cystoscopy should be part of the pre-operative work-up of uncomplicated stress incontinence. Following the expert panel discussion, 27 of 40 potential indicators were determined to be valid for UI with a median score of at least seven on a nine-point scale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We identified 27 quality indicators for the care of women with UI. Once these QIs are pilot-tested for feasibility, they will be applied on a larger scale to measure the quality of care provided to women with UI in the United States.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California; Department of Urology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Jennifer T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Anger
authors.forename: Victoria C S
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Krista
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kiyosaki
authors.forename: Aqsa A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Avivah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Connor
authors.forename: Carol P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wenger
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shekelle
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Litwin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D014930:Women
keywords: RAND appropriateness method; outcomes; quality indicators; stress urinary incontinence; urge urinary incontinence